Inova Alexandria Hospital recognized for stroke treatment expertise

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Inova Alexandria Hospital has received a prestigious award related to its high caliber of stroke treatment. It recently was honored with an award from the American Heart Association /American Stroke Association. The association’s Get With The Guidelines – Stroke program has given Inova Alexandria Hospital the “Target: Stroke Honor Roll- Elite Plus” Quality Achievement Award.

To receive the award, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and this award demonstrates our commitment to ensuring patients receive care based on nationally respected clinical guidelines,” says Susan Carroll, FACHE, MBA, MHA, Chief Executive Officer, Inova Alexandria Hospital.

If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability. Over 12 months, at least 75 percent of the hospital’s ischemic stroke patients received tPA within 60 minutes of arriving; at least 50 percent of the hospital’s ischemic stroke patients received tPA within 45 minutes of arriving at the hospital (known as door-to-needle time).

Learn more about stroke and the Inova Stroke and Cerebrovascular Program at inova.org/stroke.

Is it a stroke?  Take the “F.A.S.T.” Test for Stroke Symptoms

F = FACE.   Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

A = ARMS.   Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one drift downward?

S = SPEECH.   Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Is the speech slurred or strange?

T = TIME.   If you observe any of these signs, note the time and call 911 immediately.